AUSTIN (Nexstar) – The semiconductor industry is adding thousands of jobs, but companies are facing difficulty finding skilled workers. A new education program aimed at training workers is now taking shape in Central Texas.

The University of Texas at Austin will lead the southern node of the National Network for Microelectronics Education (NNME), according to a news release from the university. The NNME is a consortium dedicated to addressing workforce shortages in the semiconductor industry. The Texas Institute for Electronics (TIE) at UT will bring together partner organizations across 10 states.

The initiative focuses on aligning training programs with the job-specific needs of employers, expanding hands-on learning and building clear pathways towards microelectronic and semiconductor careers.

To connect students and workers to semiconductor careers, the Texas Institute for Electronics is partnering with the University of Texas at Austin and Austin Community College (ACC) to create new training programs.

Workforce issue

At a news conference on Tuesday announcing the program, Dr. Alyssa Reinhart with the Texas Institute for Electronics highlighted the need for action.

“The Semiconductor Industry Association projects more than 115,000 new semiconductor jobs by the end of the decade. And more than half of those positions are at risk of going unfilled,” Reinhart emphasized.

Garrett Groves, the Vice Chancellor of Strategic Initiatives at ACC, expressed frustration with the disconnect between the semiconductor industry and education.

“You have countless individuals who are either unemployed or underemployed or would love to work in those jobs and can’t make the connection. This is frustrating for all of us.” Groves went on to say, ” We want to rebuild a college program around our industry partners. So our team did exactly that.”

‘The semiconductor revolution’

NNME South is one of four regional nodes acting as the delivery mechanism for new education strategies in 10 states, including Texas, Louisiana and Georgia.

Terry Zrubek, from the Office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, praised the initiative’s goals for strengthening the state’s economy.

“We are aligning industry, education, and government to build scalable, employer-driven programs across the full semiconductor ecosystem. This effort is expanding access to high-paying careers while strengthening our state and national economy.”

“Texas isn’t just participating in the semiconductor revolution; we’re defining it,” Zrubeck said Tuesday.

NNME will enter its first year with 32 employer partners and 35 academic institutions that will aid in the building of new semiconductor and microelectronic career pathways.

‘AI is not taking our jobs’

In recent weeks, Congressman Greg Casar announced proposals to tax AI companies for their role in mass unemployment.

In an op-ed, Casar justified his plan by claiming that “AI is coming for your job.”

Raja Swaminathan, the Corporate Vice President of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), said the opposite. 

“AI is not taking our jobs,” Swaminathan said Tuesday in response to Casar’s comment.

Swaminathan instead emphasized the need to understand how AI works in the semiconductor industry and how crucial humans are to these careers.

“The next era of semiconductor innovation will depend on people who can connect ideas across technologies, disciplines, and teams and not act in silos. That’s how complex technology gets built.”

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